The Call of the Salamander
by Salamandercat
Summary: Falconkit, Mintkit, and Stormkit, are kits of Leafpool, and, who? No one knows exactly and it doesn't help when they find a mysterious cat who just so happens to be able to turn into a salamander? But even with the strange things that are happening, the trio are determined to find out who their father is, and the mysterious cat that haunts their mother's past. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

The Call of the Salamander

Falconkit stood, letting out a small yawn and blinking his eyes to adjust to the dim light filtering into the nursery. His mother, Leafpool, lay next to him, along with his sister and brother.

"Stormkit, Mintkit." Falconkit murmured sleepily. "It's time to wake up."

Stormkit, a pale gray tom, murmured something illegible and rolled over so that he was facing Falconkit, his pale blue eyes open. "What is it Falconkit?" he yawned, rubbing his eyes with back of his paw.

"I wanted to play a game," Falconkit explained. "So, could you help me wake up Mintkit please?"

Stormkit stared at his brother for awhile, and then giving in stood up and nudged Mintkit gently with his nose. Mintkit opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him. "What is it now?" she asked, sitting and shaking out her black and white pelt.

"Falconkit wants to play a game." Stormkit explained to his sister. "And apparently he needs us to play it." Falconkit who was sitting nearby nodded his head, a warm smile on his face. Mintkit let out an exasperated sigh and stood, her dark green eyes fixed on the ginger tom that had woken her up to play a game.

"Lets get going." she mewed, leading the way out of the nursery

oOo

Mintkit gazed at Flutterkit, and watched longingly as the kit of Dovewing and Bumblestripe played with her father, brother, and sister. The black and white she-cat had no father of her own and wished for one dearly. Whenever she saw the other kits in the nursery with their fathers, (which was quite frequently) it took all of her willpower to not start crying, which she did when no one could see her, or so she thought. But as Mintkit watched Flutterkit, a strange feeling over came her and she wanted nothing more than to rip out the light gray she-cats heart and watch her die.

oOo

Stormkit lay with his brother and sister in the elder's den, listening to Purdy ramble on about how he had fought off a dog, wait, no, _two _dogs, with no help at all. Another elder, a sand colored she-cat by the name Sandstorm, merely let out snort of disbelief and continued to munch on the vole the apprentice's had brought to her.

"So there ah was, no tree in sight an' only four pairs o' claws as ma only defense." the elder continued, unsheathing his claws and holding the paw in the air. "An' ya know wha' ah did?" Stormkit's brother, Falconkit was gazing intently on Purdy, his mouth gaping in awe.

"What did you do?! What did you do?!" the ginger tom squeaked, unable to contain his excitement.

"Well 'ah simply-" Purdy began.

"Purdy I think you've told them enough." Sandstorm mewed, cutting him off.

"Ah guess yer right" Purdy sighed, then to the kits: "Alright you three, go on back to yer mother."

oOo

Falconkit yawned and closed his eyes, warmed by the bodies of his mother and littermates, and soon fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The Call of the Salamander chap. 2

"Falconkit, you're doing it wrong!" Mintkit yelled, padding over to where her brother was trying to do a hunting crouch. "Your form is sloppy and your tail is to low to the ground!" And as if to prove a point, Mintkit slapped her paw straight down on the tom's tail.

"Hey!" Falconkit yelled, wrenching his tail free from the paw of his sister. "That hurt!"

Mintkit let out an exasperated sigh and sat down next to her brother. "How bad is it?" she asked. Slowly, Falconkit let his injured tail rest on the ground.

"It's fine now." he sniffed, fake hurt in his voice. Mintkit pricked her ears at the sound of laughter and turned her head, surprised to see Berrykit, Whisperkit, and Crescentkit standing in front of them.

"Ow, ow my tail!" Crescentkit mocked, sitting down and holding his tail in his paws. Berrykit and Whisperkit burst out laughing, and Mintkit felt Falconkit flinch at the older kit's spiteful words. The black and white kit turned her head to look at her brother who was fighting back tears and had a fake smile plastered on his face.

"Ha ha." Falconkit croaked, standing and turning his gaze to the three older kits, the fake smile still resting on his muzzle. "That's so funny."

The three kits only laughed harder as they saw the tears that ran down the younger kit's face. "Ha, ha," Berrykit laughed, his voice cold. "Grow up Falconkit, tears are for newborns." The commet only made Falconkit cry harder and Mintkit felt a wave of rage surge through her.

"Shut up Berrykit." Mintkit hissed, glaring at the tom. "Or I'll make you."

Instead of doing as Mintkit had said, Berrykit laughed harder, and Whisperkit spoke for him:

"Don't try and be a warrior, runt." the pale white tom hissed, smirking. "As for your brother, he'd make a better stick than a cat."

"That's it!" Mintkit screeched, her rage bubbling over. The black and white she-cat leaped forward and landed on Whisperkit. Mintkit began to claw and bite the older kit, surprise on her side. Whisperkit let out yowl of surprise and screech of pain as Mintkit ripped his flesh with her sharp claws. Berrykit and Crescentkit hurriedly dragged Mintkit off of their brother, Mintkit ignored the two and refused to let go of Whisperkit's pelt. After a lot of tugging the two older kits finally ripped Mintkit off of their littermate with some of Whisperkit's fur between the young kit's claws.

oOo

Stormkit sat next to his sister as she was reprimanded by their mother. In Stormkit's mind he had no idea why Mintkit needed to punished, he thought that Whisperkit deserved what had happened to him, after the things he and his littermate's had said to their brother.

But Stormkit's mind wasn't their mother's and Mintkit wasn't allowed to go out of the den for two moons, and to make the punishment even more unbearable, Mintkit had to go and say she was 'sorry' to Whisperkit. Stormkit watched her sister stand as the she-cat padded past him, he leaned forward slightly and whispered: "If it means anything, I think Whisperkit deserved what happened to him." Mintkit smiled slightly and flicked her ear showing she had heard before leaving them and heading toward Ivypool's nest where Whisperkit slept with his brother's.

oOo

Falconkit sat alone in a corner of camp, feeling hated and frowned upon. Whisperkit's spiteful words haunted him and he could hear the tom's sneering voice in his head. _'You'd make a better stick than a cat.' _Falconkit blinked back the tears, believing every word the older kit had said. _I'm nothing but a failure. _he thought, feeling useless and unloved.

A cold breeze blew, ruffling his fur. In the wind came a voice, a voice that Falconkit had only heard Bumblestripe say to his kits and had wished for someone to say something to him in that voice.

_"You are anything but useless." _the wind whispered, filling him with a warmth he had never before felt. _"And you are loved, no matter what other's say." _Falconkit let out low sigh, feeling better than before. _I am loved. _he thought. _Loved by my family._


	3. Chapter 3

The Call of the Salamander chap. 3

Falconkit sat with his littermates next to their mother as Whisperkit, Berrykit, and Crescentkit, became apprentices. But, Falconkit paid the ceremony no attention, what he wanted was to feel the wind ruffle his fur and hear the wind's voice tell him he was loved, but to the ginger tom's dismay, he heard no sound during the whole ceremony. So at the end Falconkit felt hallow and only came to when he heard Mintkit's voice.

"In a two moons it'll be our turn." she mewed.

"Yeah," Stormkit replied. "I can't wait! How about you Falconkit?" Falconkit shrugged.

"I'm tired, how about you guys?" he replied, changing the subject, before laying down in their nest. Falconkit quickly closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep, he heard his littermates sigh and felt them lay next to him, but instead of Leafpool laying with them, she only sat down, watching them, worry swimming in the amber depths of her eyes.

oOo

Stormkit watched Whisperpaw leave with his mentor Cloudtail to go practice battle moves. Sighing the pale gray tom stood up from where he had been sitting near the fresh-kill pile. _Whisperpaw doesn't deserve to be a warrior. _he thought, scowling. _He shouldn't have even been born. _

A cold breeze envoloped the kit in a warmth only his mother or father was able to give, and he found himself feeling lighter and happier than before. Stormkit smiled and trotted back to where his sister and brother where playing, not paying any attention to the words the wind whispered. _"That's better." _

oOo

Mintkit scowled as she watched Flutterkit and Mousekit pad by, unsheathing her claws and digging them into the hard soil underneath. The two kits of Bumblestripe and Dovewing always acted as if they where so high and mighty, unlike their brother Ravenkit who was always nice to Mintkit and her brothers.

As Flutterkit padded past Falconkit the she-cat flicked the ginger tom's nose with her tail playfully. Mintkit narrowed her eyes at the form of seduction and let out a low growl. Upon hearing the black and white she-cat's warning, Flutterkit turned her head to look at Mintkit and sneered before stalking off, Mousekit following behind dutifully. Mintkit watched the two older kits leave, cold hatred burning inside of her.

"Don't pay attention to those two." came a warm voice and Mintkit turned to see Ravenkit sitting beside her. "They always act like that." Falconkit snorted but didn't reply.

oOo

A shadow sat next to a pool of ice. The creature had a smile on his face as he watched his kits and mate. _"I love you." _the creature whispered, and a stray breeze blew past him, ruffling his fur and bringing his words to his mate and kits. The creature stood, before padding away, the smile still on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

The Call of the Salamander chap. 4

Falconkit sat beside a cat over looking a lake. The cat he guessed was about as old as Moleclaw, maybe younger.

"I am quite older than that." the cat beside him mewed. Falconkit let out a small gasp. How did this stranger know what he was thinking. "Because I'm a magical beast you idiot." the cat mewed, turning its head to look at Falconkit. "Also, I'm a he, not an it." Falconkit let out a snort of contempt.

"Like I care whatever the hell your gender is any way." he replied.

The cat shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't doesn't matter." he mewed. "The name's Timejumper by the way."

"Falconkit." Falconkit replied.

"Oh and by the way." Timejumper mewed. "It's time to wake up."

oOo

Mintkit sat by her littermate's near the nursery. She heard Falconkit let out a long sigh.

"I don't know why we do this." he mewed. "Waiting here for someone who will never come, it's only hurting us more." Mintkit nodded, agreeing with her brother.

Stormkit sighed. "I suppose you're right, Falconkit." the pale gray tom mewed. "Let's go find something else to occupy our time with." And with that the trio stood, and left their usual waiting place for their father, or who could've been their father.


End file.
